Third seed Alexander Zverev made a winning start to his Australian Open 2026 campaign, overcoming a spirited Gabriel Diallo to secure entry to the second round at Melbourne Park for a tenth consecutive year.
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The German snuffed out the risk of an early upset, advancing past the talented Canadian 6-7(1) 6-1 6-4 6-2, triumphing in his first official match on Rod Laver Arena since the AO 2025 final.
“He’s somebody that’s very young, very talented, unbelievably aggressive, so [it was] difficult to find a rhythm especially [because] I didn’t play many matches yet this year,” the 28-year-old said.
“The first set wasn’t my best tennis, I would say, but then afterwards when I got into the match, I felt really good on the court and I’m definitely happy with the level.”
In the pair’s first meeting, the German came out of the blocks firing and seemed to set the tone by sending down a pair of aces in his opening service game.
But it was Diallo, the composed world No.41, who seized an early break by striking a forehand winner to clinch a 3-1 lead, which he quickly consolidated.
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The 24-year-old elicited gasps from fans, many unfamiliar with his game, as he matched Zverev’s booming groundstrokes during baseline rallies, many of which he ended by charging the net at opportune moments. But after holding a trio of game points for a 5-2 lead, Diallo reeled off a string of unforced errors and notched his first double fault to hand back the break.
Undeterred, the former University of Kentucky student earned a set point before Zverev served his way out of trouble, landing a pair of aces to level proceedings at 5-5. In the ensuing tiebreak, a fearless Diallo dictated play, placing four searing winners on his way to a near-perfect scoreline of 7-1, drawing roars of applause from the engrossed crowd.
Zverev quickly flipped the script. The three-time major finalist, armed with years of experience playing best-of-five-sets tennis, broke Diallo twice and lost just three points on serve en-route to taking the second set in a swift 31 minutes.
In the third set, the German broke in the seventh game, courtesy of a crisp backhand volley. Looking increasingly comfortable and with his foot firmly on the pedal, Zverev sent down another booming ace to close out the set.
With the finish line in sight, Zverev broke in the opening game of the fourth set and then again for a 5-2 lead. The German secured victory on his first match point with a huge serve that Diallo got his racquet on to deny Zverev his 14th ace of the match.
“[After the tiebreak], I was thinking ‘Can’t get worse than that,’” Zverev admitted. “It got a lot better after that for me and I started hitting my forehand a bit better, started returning a bit better and just generally was more into the game, was more aggressive, was more taking it on more myself and that’s the way I have to play, I know that.”
Diallo, who remains on the hunt for a first win over a top-five opponent after five attempts, can be heartened by his performance. The Canadian won 69% or 27 of 39 net points, eclipsing the German’s 63%, and even clocked his fastest serve at 224 km/h, 8 km/h ahead of Zverev’s.
In the second round, the third seed will face the victor of Monday’s first round battle between Australian Alexei Popyrin and France’s Alexandre Muller. With plenty of time before his next duel, Zverev said he may spend some of it playing padel or perhaps at a casino.
“My brother has won a lot of money in the casino this week, so I hope that streak continues,” he said. “I haven’t played yet so maybe I’ll have to start as well.”
After competing in just two matches at the United Cup, where he was felled by Hubert Hurkacz in a match that ultimately denied Germany a trip to the quarterfinals, Zverev said he was grateful for the challenge mounted by the powerful Diallo.
He compared the young Canadian’s brand of tennis to that of Arthur Rinderknech, the talented Frenchman who toppled Zverev in the first round of Wimbledon last year.
“It's a positive for sure, because you have been tested and you know where you are and you know where your level is at, especially in difficult moments,” he said. “I was happy with how I took on the challenge and especially how I played the last three sets.”